KARDS - The WWII Card Game News

Hello everyone!

The KARDS community is filled with players of diverse backgrounds with varied viewpoints. Many of its members create contributions that enrich the community, providing, for example, entertainment or guidance to other community members. Through the relaunch of the KARDS Contributor Program, we aim to provide added support to contributors, as well as to highlight the various contributions of KCP members to the KARDS community.

This month, we learn more about Spooz and the upcoming Nations Cup tournament!

[h2]Background[/h2]
Spooz started playing KARDS on March 7th, 2019, after seeing KARDS advertised on YouTube. Since then, he’s played more than 2200 hours - 90% of which he estimates to have been on stream. Drawn to KARDS by a fascination for strategy games and the WW2 theme, Spooz’s favorite aspect of the game is the strategic depth created by the operation cost mechanic, as well as the ability to get creative, trying out new combos and decks. Spooz’s favorite card is the KV-1 1941 and, at the moment, he’s been enjoying playing a Japan/Poland Legions deck.

[h2]Content[/h2]
Spooz primarily streams KARDS and creates videos with some highlight matches for his YouTube channel. He aims to offer a variety of content, e.g. fun decks, meta decks, challenges or exclusive challenges like the Nations Cup. Spooz primarily produces entertainment based content: “I'm always trying to create stuff that is interesting to watch without getting too deep into the strategic part of KARDS.”

Spooz aims to stream 2-3 times a week with a similar amount of videos released every week. When asked what viewers can expect from Spooz, he says: “Honesty and a lot of missed lethals I guess ;)”

Check out one of Spooz’s latest videos here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF1Zyr_4Yu0

[h2]Nations Cup Tournament[/h2]
The Nations Cup is a team based tournament where players compete for their country in teams of 3-4 players. The tournament was started by Spooz in 2020, inspired by a love for national tournaments and a feeling that such tournaments needed representation in the KARDS tournament scene.

The Nations Cup features different game modes, such as pauper, no orders allowed, singleton, and only main nation cards. Nations Cup games are played in 2 groups, with 4 teams in each group, where the best 2 nations of each group advance to the semi finals. Games will take place on selected dates throughout November and there’ll be some exciting prizes to earn!

[h3]Nations Cup Prizes[/h3]



Additionally, the top 3 teams will be able to choose a card back prize from the selection of card backs available on rotation in the in-game shop.

[h3]Join the Fun![/h3]
The Nations Cup is open for anyone to enter - simply sign up on Spooz’s Discord server here! If at least 3 players apply on the behalf of one nation, the nation becomes eligible to participate in the Nations Cup. If more than 8 nations apply, the nations with players with the highest finishes on the in-game seasonal ladder this year take part in the cup.

The Nations Cup will be live streamed on Spooz’s Twitch channel and uploaded to Spooz’s YouTube channel. Lucky viewers may win some goodies during the Nations Cup streams, so make sure to give Spooz a follow so you don’t miss a thing! Get more information on the Nations Cup here: Spooz’s Discord server.

[h2]New Player Advice[/h2]
The KARDS community is one that Spooz feels is very welcoming to newer players: “whenever a new player needs help there are a dozen experienced players that offer their help.”

For new players, he especially recommends they watch his tutorial video where he reached Field Marshal with a new account in only 16 hours: https://youtu.be/3o_eQdCHm4g

Additionally, watching the monthly OCC tournaments on the KARDS Twitch channel or KARDS YouTube channel, as well as checking out other KARDS streamers can help new players improve a lot faster than trying to figure things out on your own.

Hello, commanders!

Following six intense weekends of fierce battles, the open in-game KARDS 2023 World Championship qualifiers have concluded. 113 skilled warriors emerge victorious from qualifiers A and B, joining the ranks of the 15 already pre-qualified players, making up a total of 128 contenders who now face off against one another in the Knockout Stage.

The next leg of this epic showdown promises a fresh set of challenges for our valiant competitors. The Knockout Stage starts with a group stage, which leads into a 32-player double elimination bracket where players compete to become one of the last 4 standing. Those 4 players then battle it out during the Grand Finals in Iceland in December for their share of the $12.000 prize pool and the title of KARDS World Champion!

[h2]The Knockout Stage[/h2]

For those of you that made it - huge congratulations! You've shown your mettle, proving yourself to be among the most successful players in KARDS, demonstrating immense skill and impressive dedication. Expect an email from us with the vital intel for the next stage of your mission.

The next stage of the tournament is the Knockout Stage, where we go from 128 players to the top 4 over the course of two intense weekends of KARDS play. The first part of this stage is played in a round robin group stage, with 16 groups of 8 players, where the top 2 players in each group advance into a 32-player double elimination bracket that will bring us to the final 4 players.

The round robin will take place on October 21st, with the 32-player double elimination round on October 22nd. The top 6 in the double elimination bracket face off against one another live on stream on October 29th, when we find out who will be the top 4 players making it to the Grand Finals in Iceland. Players will have the chance to change their decks between each section of the Knockout Stage. Check out the full schedule below.



Important: If you are qualified, please make sure that the email address associated with your account is up-to-date so that we are able to contact you with details on the next stage. This will require action from you as the remainder of the World Championship will be played outside the game client. You can check the email address associated with your account by going in-game, selecting options, and clicking “Account”. If you need to update the email address associated with your account, you can do so on the KARDS website, by logging in with your account on the top bar, navigating to your account settings, and selecting “Change email”.

[h2]Live Drawing Stream[/h2]

On Friday, October 13th at 16:00 GMT we will be live from the bunker to do a live drawing show for all the groups, broadcast on the KARDS Twitch and YouTube channels. Make sure to tune in to find out what the groups will look like!

Following the live drawing, we will also publish the groups in a Steam article, shared on the KARDS Discord server.

[h2]Open Qualifier Rewards[/h2]

As promised, the top 500 players in each of the two open in-game qualifiers will receive the exclusive KARDS 2023 World Championship card back. This card back will automatically be added to eligible accounts, which we aim to deliver shortly before the World Championship Grand Finals - no further action is required from your side.

[h2]List of Qualifier Players[/h2]

Check out a list of all players qualified for the Knockout Stage below. Note that the pre-qualified players will be pre-seeded into groups, to ensure their even distribution across all groups.

[h3]Pre-qualified players[/h3]

Jking7
Head
Berto Burrito
Bamboo
我开天王炸 (Cappuccino)
guorq123456
xyloser
Leo
金轮会怎么做 (Jinlun)
变成光守护阿梓公主 (Azi)
Vinny
老虎不发猫 (Tiger)
钟离梓 (TangTang)
Noein5
Bezio

[h3]Qualified Through In-Game Qualifiers[/h3]

只是做了点微小的工作
圆寂都察院
Liszt
冲矢猫
Lok
Der_Admiral
劣质暗杀兵
Rara88
kvj19
Leps
nadoka
Hayes
百里蒿
PAIN-GAN
943265831
二月叶
eszemteszem
麻尤米mayumi
Rock-n-Roll
Chaos
dchukov
[CN]lgyouch
krelief
Intradiction
citrus
Defender
astrobooey
Shiva's
1021758278
Terror_de
Thanks
cafe
vitameistango
wastecan
落寒尘
下北泽臭小子
Joshua
Stanislav
My Other Account
SprkieOak
大米呱呱
0.0
龍槍雷斯林
Socialist
apara
PDC 2018
(cn)symbol
TB273
starrywarren
kircheis_0
Io de Scylla
WolfClaw
killswitch
Kochua
ApeGo
Freddie
MoERo
敦刻尔克没有白色
TreePipit
Overkill
Thanatron
LoveGone
doge34
kumashin76
dian
永远鲜红的幼月
TEME
Daizal
且战且退的巴甫洛夫
Gambit1286
amatues
pytorch
七海千秋
Pathfinder
晴想睡个好觉
Baron von Glower
Gragon123
Echidna
CaptainA
Sean
Владимир
R ADLER
dandelion882691
小小云
susaad
Wo of Bark
rayson366458
Baycel
Zhigul
两百多斤英国大力士
提尔比茨
DannysDirection
小白小白小白狼
ThoRoNDoR
John_Px
CAMPER
OHxCORNGUY
泠月清霄
Ghost
Sakura
Drogear
YaoLiu
JPK VIII
ComTruise
Syroezhkin
凛凛蝶凛
HaoLiang
莱因哈特·舍尔BK
wild_eyes
雪侯府府主
ENDER
s961578
少年游

We are thrilled for the remainder of the World Championship! Make sure to follow us on Twitch, YouTube, X, Facebook and Discord to make sure you don’t miss out on any of the action!

A new Skirmish event is live now until October 8th!

Here’s everything you need to know.

Skirmish is a special game mode, easily accessible from the main screen, where you play with an alternate set of rules. These rules vary between the Skirmishes; you’ll face something different at every new Skirmish event.

Get ready for some thrilling matches with these Skirmish rules:

• Choose your own deck to battle with.
  
• You can use a deck with more than 12 Ally cards.
  
• Draw an extra card each turn.
  
• Players gain extra 2 Kredit slots each turn.

In addition to the exciting and completely different battle experience you’ll get with this Skirmish ruleset, you’ll also get a random card pack with your first win in this Skirmish!

Access the Skirmish event from the game's main screen or from the Play menu to get a detailed overview of the game mode, rules and prize.

This Skirmish is available from Friday, October 6th (12:00 GMT) until Sunday, October 8th at 18:00 GMT. Join this special event and win your Skirmish to claim victory and the spoils!

Please let us know what you think of the event in the comments below or on the KARDS Discord.

See you in the Skirmish this weekend!

Hello everyone!

Following the announcement of card balance changes last week, as well as the announcement of new and updated features coming soon, we have deployed these updates on October 6th. Check out the dev blog for details on the card balance changes here: Card Updates: Harmony and check out our announcement about the October update here: October Update: The Return of Theaters of War Campaigns.

This October patch is packed full of new and exciting content:

• Balance updates to 3 cards
  
• Return of Theaters of War PvE campaigns
  
• Medkit update: longer durations and 3 variations
  
• Gold card conversion: convert owned cards to gold cards with the gold currency
  
• A bunch of bug fixes and general improvements

Our last patch in August came with a lot of challenges and unfortunately that release led to various issues which a number of players experienced, for which we sincerely apologize to all affected players. The August release highlighted flaws in our release pipeline which we have worked to rectify, through reinforcing our processes and ensuring that significantly more time is allocated for testing before release. Since the August patch, we've worked hard to improve the issues some players experienced and, as part of the improvements we're making in this patch, have implemented some memory optimization which may help improve the experience of some users affected by performance issues.

Read on to learn more about all the exciting things arriving with this patch!


A total of 3 cards have been updated in this patch.

[h3]OBSERVER CORPS[/h3]


Old: Choose a card with cost 4 or more in your hand. Reduce its cost by 2.
New: Choose a card with cost 5 or more in your hand. Reduce its cost by 2.

[h3]IJN SHINANO[/h3]


Old: Distribute damage to enemy cards equal to the number of cards on the battlefield.
New: Distribute damage to enemy targets equal to the number of units on the battlefield.

[h3]164th INFANTRY REGIMENT[/h3]


New: Added Blitz ability.


The Theaters of War single player PvE campaigns are back!

Dive into the heart of iconic WW2 battles with five unique campaigns:

• Tunisian Campaign: Relive the intense battles of North Africa as you strategize your way through the arid deserts and rugged terrain.
  
• El Alamein Campaign: Rewrite history in the pivotal Battle of El Alamein, where every move could change the course of the war.
  
• Battle of Moscow Campaign: Take command in the freezing depths of the Eastern Front as you lead your troops through the harsh Russian winter.
  
• Fall of the Philippines Campaign: Experience the dramatic showdown in the Pacific Theater, where island-hopping tactics are the key to victory.
  
• Guadalcanal Campaign: Engage in fierce naval and land battles in the jungles of Guadalcanal, a pivotal moment in the Pacific War.

Complete each campaign to earn the unique Theaters of War card backs and earn special Theaters of War emotes for completing each campaign with a perfect score.



Theaters of War campaigns can be accessed from the Play menu, under Campaigns. Unlock access to all five campaigns for 148 diamonds.

For players that owned any Theaters of War campaign prior to their temporary removal, you will now have access to all of the campaigns.


The medkit system has been updated!

Medkits are now available in three different variations. The current 2-hour medkit has been changed to a 24-hour medkit. We’ve also introduced two more medkit variants at different lengths and different price points, providing great value for players aiming to maximize their XP gain.

The new medkits have the following durations and prices:

• 1-day (24 hour) medkit: 20 diamonds
  
• 3-day (72 hour) medkit: 40 diamonds (3 days for the price of 2)
  
• 7-day (168 hour) medkit: 80 diamonds (7 days for the price of 4)

Every existing 2-hour medkit has now been automatically converted into a 24-hour medkit. Enjoy the extended XP boost!


You can now create your own gold cards by converting cards you own with the gold currency!

This is the first time that you will be able to choose which specific cards you would like to convert to gold cards. Having only been able to collect non-specific gold cards up until this point through limited avenues, such as the end of season rewards or card pack drops, the ability to convert specific cards into gold cards carries an exclusive price point for those that would like to show off their favorite cards in their gold versions. Note that a gold card functions in exactly the same way as a non-gold card, making this a purely cosmetic conversion. The price of converting a single card varies based on rarity and is as follows:

• Standard: 100 gold
  
• Limited: 200 gold
  
• Special: 400 gold
  
• Elite: 800 gold

Note that you will need to own a copy of the card to change it into gold - so you’ll need to have either received it for example in a card pack or create the card with a wildcard before you can convert it to gold. Changing a card into a gold card will automatically update any decks containing that card to now contain the gold card. If you have multiple copies of that card and convert only 1 to the gold version, then your decks containing at least 1 copy of that card will contain the gold version of that card.

To convert a card into a gold card, do the following:

• From the main screen of the game, select the Cards menu.
  
• Navigate to your Collection from the top bar.
  
• Right-click or tap a card.
  
• Select the gold card button, on the right side of the create button, to convert an owned card into a gold version of that card.
  
• On the following popup, confirm the price and press Confirm to convert the card.

[h3]AI[/h3]

• Fixed issue where, in matches against the AI, the 3-inch M5 would retain its attack bonus after friendly units in the frontline were destroyed.
  
• The MATSUMOTO REGIMENT did not correctly deal 1 damage to the enemy HQ when a destruction effect triggered in AI matches. Fixed.
  
• When 1 cost units were located on the battlefield and the AI played MONASTYR, the replacement units were broken cards. Fixed.
  
• Several additional small AI bug fixes.

[h3]Battle[/h3]

• Fixed incorrect order of events when BLOODY SICKLE was played. BLOODY SICKLE now correctly deals 1 damage to a unit and your HQ, then a card is drawn from the deck.
  
• If a unit was taken control of with an order such as CONFUSION, when the unit returned to the original owner’s control, the operation cost would be displayed as yellow. Fixed.
  
• When the BRYANSK IRREGULARS unit was destroyed and the 114th INFANTRY REGIMENT was located on the battlefield, the destruction effect of the BRYANSK IRREGULARS was only triggered once. Fixed.
  
• Fixed broken interaction between BATTERY and KING’S OWN SCOTTISH causing excess damage to not be correctly dealt to HQ.
  
• The deployment cost of a unit was not correctly decreased by 2 after returning BERIEV BE-4 to hand and redeploying it. Fixed.
  
• The cost of using orders in hand was incorrectly increased after BLACK WATCH was deployed by the opponent if BERIEV BE-4 was located on the battlefield. Fixed.
  
• The FIAT C.R.32’s ability was not correctly triggered after a unit with the “Damage dealt by this unit adds equal defense to your HQ” ability was destroyed. Fixed.
  
• When a card was moved back to deck and was then removed from the deck, a visual error caused the card to remain stuck on the deck. Fixed.
  
• Fixed issue where STUKA 87G’s ability was triggered after a unit on the opposing side performed an attack resulting in that unit’s destruction.
  
• Fixed broken interaction between PZL P.11 and Exile unit stolen by MINORITY RECRUITS and retreated to hand with PARTISANS resulting in the deployment cost of the Exile unit not correctly decreasing when PZL P.11 is located on the battlefield.
  
• The deployment cost of A-20B was not correctly decreased by 1 after taking control of an opponent’s US unit. Fixed.
  
• When EMPIRE OF THE SUN was used to destroy an enemy AICHI D3A-2 and an AICHI D3A-1 was located on the battlefield, an incorrect number of cards was drawn from the EMPIRE OF THE SUN. Fixed.
  
• The HURRICANE Mk II-C TROP unit was shown with incorrect defense after becoming Veteran due to damage dealt by KATYUSHA, when KATYUSHA dealt additional damage. Fixed.

[h3]Collection[/h3]

• Scrolling in a particular area near the scrollbar in the Collection menu was not working as intended. Fixed.
  
• Scrolling in the “Collection Overview” in the Collection menu could scroll the card library underneath. Fixed.
  
• Unpressed buttons on the top bar were highlighted as gray after clicking the “Clear Filters” button in the Collection menu. Fixed.

[h3]Deck Builder[/h3]

• The clipboard deck import pop-up did not appear when creating a new deck from the Play menu. Fixed.
  
• It was not possible to add an elite card to a deck copied from Draft mode when the deck had only one nation. Fixed.
  
• When a deck copied from Draft mode had only one nation, two of the same national icons were displayed on the deck. Fixed.
  
• When a deck was created with a deck code from Draft mode, the “Too many ally cards” message was displayed on the deck. Fixed.

[h3]Draft[/h3]

• A draft deck was scrollable from the middle of the game screen, rather than just on the deck panel. Fixed.

[h3]Matchmaking[/h3]

• After waiting for a match for 3 minutes, the game would sometimes stop searching for a match but continue to display the searching radar. Fixed.

[h3]Mobile[/h3]

• Scrolling in the Board Items tab of the Customization menu did not work correctly. Fixed.
  
• Sometimes, messages from the HQ in campaigns went out of the game screen. Fixed.
  
• The crate popup in the Open Packs interface went out of the game screen on some devices. Fixed.
  
• On iOS devices, in the Cards menu, it was possible to scroll down much farther than the decks listed. Fixed.
  
• On Android devices, new players could get stuck by entering the game without selecting a player name. Fixed.
  
• In some cases, new players’ 8-day rewards would not be correctly claimable. Fixed.
  
• Target arrow for the 2nd PARA C displayed incorrectly on deployment. Fixed.

[h3]Sound[/h3]

• The timer sound was played on the main menu screen after an enemy disconnected and the enemy HQ was automatically destroyed. Fixed.

[h3]Visual[/h3]

• The medkit image was deformed in some languages. Fixed.
  
• The medkit image was displayed outside of its intended border in some languages. Fixed.
  
• In some languages, the end of battle screen “Level Up!” text had extra partial text displayed below it. Fixed.
  
• When sending a message to a friend, the character counter would continue to show the number of characters in the last sent message after it was sent. Fixed.
  
• When adding a friend, clicking the “Add Friend” button multiple times would open multiple “Add Friend” popups. Fixed.
  
• When pressing the Restart button in the Settings menu during a battle, the Restart popup would only display after the Settings menu was closed. Fixed.
  
• Fixed visual issue with opening packs in 32:9 ultrawide aspect ratio.
  
• Skirmish modes where a random deck is assigned to players would sometimes have the wrong board item displayed for the deck assigned. Fixed.
  
• Quickly hovering over different game modes in the Play menu would sometimes result in the popups with descriptions of game modes incorrectly closing and overlapping. Fixed.
  
• The “Battle Mode Unlocked” text was missing from the final screen of a completed German starter campaign. Fixed.

In this patch we have also released a number of general game improvements.

Most notably, we have implemented some memory optimization which may improve performance for some users.

We’ve also overhauled the text in German and USA starter campaigns on mobile devices. The messaging in these starter campaigns is now more mobile friendly.

Additionally, we’ve added the option to “Invite Friend” in the Friends menu. On PC, this will copy a signup link to your clipboard which you can send to your friends to encourage them to join you in KARDS! On mobile devices, this allows you to send this link directly to your friends through social apps you have on your device.

That’s all for now. We thank all of our players and the KARDS Community in general for reporting bugs and discussing the game balance. If you want to get involved, join us on Discord!

Hello, KARDS players!

We are excited to bring you another brand new episode of the official 1939 Games podcast: The Frontline - A KARDS Podcast!

Every month on the KARDS podcast, we dive into new topics, bringing you all the latest news and deep dives into the thrilling things ongoing and upcoming in KARDS. You’ll get to know the team behind KARDS as we explore developers’ varied work and contributions to the constant development of the game. The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple and Google Podcasts, as well as on the KARDS YouTube channel and Bilibili.

[h2]The Frontline Episode 8: Coming Up in KARDS[/h2]

In this eighth podcast episode, KARDS Community Manager Elín and host Christo review the coming months in KARDS. Get the intel on what features and events you can expect in KARDS until the end of the year, including the winter expansion, World Championship, Theaters of War campaigns, and more.

[h2]Tune in Now![/h2]

Tune in to The Frontline podcast on the following platforms:

YouTube

Anchor

Spotify

Google Podcasts

Apple Podcasts

Join us on Discord, let us know what you think of this episode of The Frontline podcast and if there are any particular questions or topics you’d like us to cover in the future!